Fault detection and monitoring methods for safe operation of a WEVC system

ABSTRACT

A wireless electric vehicle charging system comprises base-side equipment for generating a magnetic field and vehicle-side equipment for receiving energy via the magnetic field to supply power to a vehicle-driving battery. Monitoring circuitry monitors one or more of voltage, current, or phase associated with the base-side equipment and halts generation of the magnetic field in response to a change in the voltage, current, or phase associated with the operation of the base-side equipment that indicates a fault condition at the vehicle-side equipment, which may include a loss of power or disconnection of a battery. Based on detection of the change, the monitoring circuitry can halt generation of the magnetic field to prevent damage at the vehicle-side equipment.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.Utility application Ser. No. 16/246,253 filed on Jan. 11, 2019 which inturn claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Appl. Ser.No. 62/632,825 filed on Feb. 20, 2018, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The present disclosure is related generally to wireless power transfer,and more specifically to an inductive power-transfer system, such as awireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) system. In particular, thepresent disclosure relates to fault detection and monitoring methods forsafe operation of a wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) system.The present disclosure also relates to a method of controlling awireless electric vehicle charging system based on fault detection in abase-side equipment of the WEVC system that indicates an emergencysituation in a vehicle-side equipment of the WEVC system.

BACKGROUND

Wireless power transfer techniques are increasingly being used totransfer power from electrical power sources to a wide range of devicesfrom small hand-held consumer electronics devices such as mobile phonesand tablets requiring a few watts of power to electric vehiclesrequiring kilowatts of power. In addition to the convenience of nothaving to plug in a device to power it or recharge its batteries, theabsence of wires and cables makes for tidier desks and parking spaces,while reducing clutter and trip and shock hazards. Among other ways,power may be transferred wirelessly via a capacitive coupling or aninductive coupling, both of which offer advantages over resistive (e.g.,wired) coupling for the purpose of supplying power to a device.

Wireless power-transfer systems can be designed to operate at fixed orvariable frequencies. In addition, wireless power-transfer systems canbe designed to deliver from a power source to a load anything from a fewwatts of power to many kilowatts across a gap between plates of acapacitor or through magnetic coupling between coils. Typically, the gapis an air gap. The energy thus delivered may be used e.g., to power anelectronics circuit, to drive an electric motor in an electric vehicleor to charge batteries in the electronics circuit or vehicle. Powering acell phone or charging its battery requires a few watts, whereaspowering the motor in an electric vehicle or charging the batteryrequires kilowatts. The larger the battery circuit or motor, or thefaster the battery is required to charge, the more power is needed to betransferred across the air gap.

Wireless power transfer techniques have developed in different fields oftechnology which has resulted in different terms being used to describeessentially the same element or component. Such terms as ‘magneticresonance,’ ‘magnetic coupling,’ ‘magnetic induction,’ ‘inductive powertransfer’ and ‘resonant inductive power transfer’ are common. Althoughthere are differences, these terms are generally used broadly andinterchangeably to refer to systems that transfer power from a sourceacross an air gap to a load by way of a magnetic field.

Similarly, such terms as ‘magnetic coils’, ‘induction coils’ and‘antennas’ are used essentially interchangeably to describe the parts ofa wireless power system that transfer energy across the air gap.

Wireless power transfer systems may use magnetic coils either alone orcoupled with other tuned or tunable elements. In electric vehicle powertransfer applications, a base power-transfer apparatus may include acoil in combination with associated driving electronics or it mayinclude the coil with some or all the associated electronics beingprovide in a separate enclosure. Either way, the coil in the basepower-transfer apparatus is used to transmit power via a magnetic field.Similarly, a vehicle pad may include the coil in combination withassociated control electronics or it may include the coil with some orall the associated electronics being provide in the separate enclosure.Either way, the coil in the vehicle pad is used to receive power via themagnetic field.

The term ‘power-transfer apparatus’ is also used herein in a variety ofdifferent ways. It is used to identify an enclosure including the coil,e.g., the ‘base power-transfer apparatus’ or the ‘vehicle power-transferapparatus.’ It is also used to identify the coil itself.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods are described for fault detection and monitoringmethods for safe operation of a wireless electric vehicle charging(WEVC) system. The system may include a base power-transfer apparatus, avehicle power-transfer apparatus, or a wireless power-transfer system.The methods include a method of controlling a wireless electric vehiclecharging system based on monitoring a base-side equipment for anindication of an emergency situation (e.g., fault condition) at avehicle-side equipment of the WEVC system. The base-side equipment iscommonly located on the ground or as the primary side for an entity thatdelivers power to the electric vehicle for charging. The vehicle-sideequipment is located on an electric vehicle and is commonly implementedas the secondary side that receives power for charging the electricvehicle.

Aspects include a wireless electric vehicle charging system thatcomprises base-side equipment for generating a magnetic field andvehicle-side equipment for receiving energy via the magnetic field tosupply power to a vehicle-driving battery. A monitor monitors one ormore of voltage, current, or phase associated with the base-sideequipment and halts generation of the magnetic field in response to achange in the one or more of the voltage, current, or phase associatedwith the operation of the base-side equipment that indicates anemergency situation at the vehicle-side equipment. The emergencysituation can include a loss of power or a disconnection of thevehicle-driving battery.

In at least one aspect, a method of controlling operation of a wirelesselectric vehicle charging system is disclosed. The method includesgenerating a magnetic field by base-side equipment of the wirelesselectric vehicle charging system to transfer power to vehicle-sideequipment of the wireless electric vehicle charging system. The methodalso includes monitoring one or more of voltage, current, or phaseassociated with operation of the base-side equipment during powertransfer from the base-side equipment to the vehicle-side equipment. Inaddition, the method includes detecting a change in the one or more ofthe voltage, current, or phase indicative of an emergency situation inthe vehicle-side equipment. The emergency situation may include a lossof power or a disconnection of a battery of the vehicle-side equipment.

In aspects, a wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) system isdisclosed. The WEVC system includes base-side equipment, apower-factor-correction circuit, tuning circuitry, and monitoringcircuitry. The base-side equipment includes a coil. Thepower-factor-correction circuit is configured to receive alternatingcurrent (AC) input and provide a direct current (DC) output. Theinverter is coupled to the power-factor-correction circuit andconfigured to use the DC output to provide a power signal. The tuningcircuitry is configured to use the power signal to drive the coil with atuned power signal to generate a magnetic field. In addition, themonitoring circuitry is configured to monitor at least one of voltage,current, or phase associated with signals passing between one or more ofthe power-factor-correction circuit and a power supply of the AC input,the power-factor-correction circuit and the inverter, the inverter andthe tuning circuitry, or the tuning circuitry and the coil, to detect achange indicating an emergency situation occurring at the vehicle-sideequipment of an electric vehicle interacting with the magnetic field.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless power transfer system forcharging one or more electric vehicles.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing at a high level the electricalelements of a wireless power transfer system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing in greater detail functionalelements of an inductive power transfer system.

FIG. 4 shows at component level some of the elements of an inductivepower transfer system.

FIG. 5 is a graph representing the voltage and current between tuningand magnetics circuitry and a base pad.

FIG. 6a is a graph representing voltage and current between an inverterand tuning and magnetics circuitry during normal operation.

FIG. 6b is a graph representing voltage and current between an inverterand tuning and magnetics circuitry during an emergency situation.

FIG. 7 is a graph representing voltage and current between a powerfactor correction (PFC) circuit and an inverter.

FIG. 8 is a graph representing voltage and current between a powersupply and a power-factor-correction circuit.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a method of controlling operation of a WEVCsystem.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing the use of system measurements as apredictor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is given with reference to a wireless electricvehicle charging (WEVC) system. The system as described is suitable forcharging electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles(PHEV). The WEVC system uses alternating current (AC) magnetic fields tocouple power from a base pad to a vehicle pad to charge the vehicle'sbatteries. The same ideas could also be used in a dynamic wireless powertransfer system for vehicles, where power is transferred from equipmentin a roadway to a vehicle as the vehicle travels along the roadway.Furthermore, while certain aspects of the following description aregiven with reference to a WEVC system, the same ideas and concepts maybe used in other wireless power transfer systems in other applications,such as for consumer electronics or other lower power applications.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless power-transfer system 100for charging one or more electric vehicles. The wireless power-transfersystem 100 enables the delivery of power to an electric vehicle 102.Such a system is also known as a wireless electric vehicle charging(WEVC) system because such systems are typically used to deliver powerto charge a battery 104 in the electric vehicle 102. The power need notbe delivered to the battery 104. Rather, it could be delivered toanother load, such as an electric motor or other ancillary in theelectric vehicle 102 while it is parked, including a heating system forcold mornings or an air conditioning system for hot days.

As shown, the system 100 allows charging while the electric vehicle 102is parked in one of two parking spaces which each have an associatedbase power-transfer apparatus 106, 108. As will be described in greaterdetail herein after, each base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108includes a coil 110, 112 which is driven by associated control circuitry(not shown in FIG. 1) to generate a magnetic field above the basepower-transfer apparatus 106, 108.

Depending on specific requirements of a given implementation, thecontrol circuitry may be supplied within the base power-transferapparatus. Alternatively, the control circuitry may be supplied partlyor wholly in a unit separate from the base power-transfer apparatus 106,108, with the base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108 including the coiland minimal base-side control circuitry, if any, that is deemednecessary for efficient driving of the coil 110, 112. The basepower-transfer apparatuses 106, 108 are typically installed on theground surface or buried in the ground, although they may also besupplied as removable units that may simply be placed on the groundwhere required and moved to another location after use.

A power supply 114 coupled to the base power-transfer apparatuses 106,108 delivers electrical power to the base power-transfer apparatuses106, 108 via a power link 116. As shown, the power supply 114 isconnected to a power network 118. In a domestic installation, the powersupply 114 may be connected to a domestic power supply in place of thepower network 118.

In use, the power supply 114 and the base power-transfer apparatus 106,108 communicate via a communications link 120 which may be a wired orwireless connection. Alternatively, or additionally depending on thespecifics of the installation, communication within the system 100 maybe via a wireless link 122. The wireless link 122 may optionally alsocommunicate with, e.g., a power grid management system or other externalentity via a communication backhaul to manage and control power transferfrom the power grid to the system or vice versa. In the illustratedexample, the power link 116 and the communications link 120 may beburied. Alternatively, e.g., in a domestic setting, they may be suppliedin the form of a cable or umbilicus of connections that can be pluggedinto the base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108 and the power supply114.

The electric vehicle 102 includes a vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124and associated vehicle-side control circuitry 126, which controls thetransfer of energy from a coil 128 in the vehicle power-transferapparatus 124 to the battery 104. The vehicle-side control circuitry 126and the base-side control circuitry communicate with each other duringthe transfer of power between the base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108and the vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124, as will be described ingreater detail herein below.

As shown, the vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124 includes the coil128, and the vehicle-side control circuitry 126 is located in adifferent location on the vehicle 102 than the coil 128. As with thebase power-transfer apparatus 106, 108, this separation of the coil 128and the control circuitry 126 is a matter of engineering design orselection depending on the specifics of the installation. The controlcircuitry 126 may be supplied partly or wholly in the vehiclepower-transfer apparatus 124 together with the coil 128. In somevehicles it may be more convenient in terms of manufacture or servicingto combine the equipment and the coil 128 in the vehicle power-transferapparatus 124 whereas, in other vehicles, separate units may be moresuitable. Similar considerations apply to the separation or co-locationof the control circuitry and the coils 110, 112 in the basepower-transfer apparatus 106, 108.

Typically, the vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124 is located under thevehicle 102 near the front or rear of the vehicle 102. The exactlocation of the vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124 is typicallydetermined when the vehicle 102 is being designed. This determinationdepends on a wide range of factors associated with the design of thevehicle 102, including the allocation of space to different functionalunits within the vehicle 102 that may have nothing to do with the WEVCfunction per se. The position may also depend on the physical size ofthe vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124, which depends on the amount ofenergy that the power-transfer apparatus is required to handle. This, inturn, is dependent to some extent on whether the vehicle is a hybridelectric vehicle with both a battery-powered motor and an internalcombustion engine, or a (fully) electric vehicle where the only powersource is electrical. Conveniently, the vehicle power-transfer apparatus124 is placed on the vehicle 102 underneath and toward the front or rearof the vehicle 102 to facilitate positioning of the vehiclepower-transfer apparatus 124 over the base power-transfer apparatus 106,or over the base power-transfer apparatus 108, during parking of thevehicle 102.

In use, the vehicle 102 is so positioned in a parking space that thevehicle power-transfer apparatus 124 is located over the basepower-transfer apparatus 106, 108 in the parking space. When the vehicle102 is parked as shown, with the vehicle power-transfer apparatus 124placed over the base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108, wireless powertransfer can be employed. Electrical energy in the form of analternating current is delivered from the power supply 114 via the powerlink 116 to the base power-transfer apparatus 106 where it drives thecoil 110. This current causes the coil 110 to create a magnetic field(Ampere's law). That field induces a voltage (Faraday's law) and anelectric current in the coil 128 in the vehicle power-transfer apparatus124, which current is used to drive a load. The current is convertedinto a suitable form by the control circuitry 126 and used to charge thebattery 104.

It should be appreciated that the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a staticWEVC system in that the vehicle 102, once parked, remains in place overthe base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108 during charging of thebattery 104. Other wireless power-transfer systems for electric vehiclesallow power transfer to occur while the vehicle is being driven along aroad, picking up energy from a charging track that serves a similarfunction to the base power-transfer apparatus 106, 108.

Usually the wireless power-transfer system 100 is designed to transferpower from the power supply 114 via the power network 118 to the basepower-transfer apparatus 106 or 108, and on to the vehiclepower-transfer apparatus 124. However, because of the inherent way inwhich magnetic wireless power-transfer functions, power could also betransferred from the battery in the vehicle to the power network 118.Further description of the operation of the wireless power-transfersystem 100 focuses on power transfer from the power supply 114 to theelectric vehicle 102. It should, however, be noted while considering thefollowing description that power transfer may also happen in the reversedirection. That is to say, power may be delivered from the battery 104in the electric vehicle 102 via the wireless power transfer units to thepower supply 114 and out to the power network 118.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of electrical elements of the wirelesspower-transfer system of FIG. 1. Electrically, the wirelesspower-transfer system (now renumbered as 200) comprises base-sidecircuitry 202 from the power supply 114 to the base-side coil 110, andvehicle-side circuitry 204 from the vehicle-side coil 128 to a load(e.g., the battery 104). The base-side circuitry 202 operates to convertenergy from the power supply 114 into a suitable form to drive thebase-side coil 110. The vehicle-side circuitry 204 operates to controlthe application of energy received by the vehicle-side coil 128 to thevehicle's battery 104.

Electrically, the base-side coil 110 is represented by inductor L₁ andcapacitor C₁. The capacitor C₁ in series with the coil L₁ (as shown) orin parallel (or another mix of parallel and series components) createsan LC circuit that resonates at a given frequency. This resonance helpsto optimize power transfer between the coils. Values of L and C areselected with the operating frequency of the WEVC system in mind.Similarly, the vehicle-side coil 128 is represented by inductor L₂ andcapacitor C₂ with values again chosen, among other things, to achieveresonance at the operating frequency.

The power supply 114 supplies AC power P_(s) to a power converter 206.The AC power may be supplied at local power grid voltage levels V_(s)(e.g., domestic levels of 110 V or 220 V at 60 Hz in the US and 220 V at50 Hz in Europe, or industrial levels and polyphase supplies for higherpower implementations). The power converter 206 converts the incomingalternating current (AC) power to a power signal P₁ running at a systemvoltage V₁ and frequency to drive the base-side coil 110. This may beachieved by first converting the signal from the power supply P_(s) intoa direct current (DC) signal and then using a converter such as anH-bridge (not shown) to convert the DC signal into the power signal P₁for the coil 110. Currently, WEVC systems are being standardized at arange of operating frequencies around ˜85 kHz. In one proposed Standardthe permitted range is from 81.38 kHz to 90 kHz. Defining a range allowsthe system to operate at different frequencies depending on differentalignment conditions, helping reduce detuning effects and henceimproving system efficiency.

The power converter 206 ensures that the output power signal P₁ is tunedand matched to the base-side coil 110. Among other things this tuningand matching aims to optimize the efficiency at which power istransferred from the power supply 114 to the base-side coil 110. Thepower signal has an associated current I₁ that flows in the coil 110.This current I₁ causes the coil to create a magnetic field.

In use, when the base-side coil 110 and the vehicle-side coil 128 are inclose proximity (e.g., the electric vehicle is parked with the coils110, 128 aligned and separated by an air gap of distance d) the magneticfield generated by the base-side coil 110 couples with the vehicle-sidecoil 128, as represented by k(d), the coupling factor at distance d. Themagnetic field induces a voltage V₂ in the coil in the vehiclepower-transfer apparatus 124 which creates a power signal P₂ including acurrent I₂. The current I₂ in the power signal P₂ is received by avehicle-side power control 208, which includes tuning and matchingcircuitry and power conversion circuitry that converts the current I₂into a form suitable for the battery 104, e.g., DC current.

Different applications of wireless power transfer are designed tofulfill different operating conditions. Whether the operating frequencyof the system 200 is chosen first and values of the capacitor C₁ and theinductor L₁ are selected accordingly, or whether the values of thecapacitor C₁ and the inductor L₁ are chosen first and the operatingfrequency is selected accordingly is, in practice, an engineeringdecision.

Although the coil is primarily an inductor L, it is made from aconductor that has an inherent resistance and inter-strand capacitance,with the turns of the coil also creating inter-turn capacitance. Theseinherent characteristics of the conductor contribute to the values of Land C in the base- and vehicle-side coils 110, 128. In somecircumstances, the inherent capacitance may be sufficient to provide therequired capacitance without the need for separate components orelements. In other design situations, separate capacitors or otherdiscrete components may prove necessary.

Depending on the market, the equipment for the vehicle 102 (e.g., thevehicle power-transfer apparatus 124 and the vehicle-side controlcircuitry 126) and the equipment for the base (e.g., the basepower-transfer apparatus 106, the coil 110, and the power supply 114)may be made and sold by different vendors to different customers. Thevehicle equipment may be sold to automobile manufacturers forincorporation into the mass-production of an electric vehicle. Or, itmay be sold directly to electric vehicle owners as an after-marketoption. Similarly, the base equipment may be supplied to automobilemanufacturers for sale with a new electric vehicle or it may be made andsold directly to electric vehicle owners. Ongoing standardizationefforts are directed, among other things, to ensuring interoperabilityof differently designed WEVC systems. The aim is for a vehicle from anyautomobile manufacturer to be able to work with base equipment from anyother supplier, be they automobile manufacturers or others. Thesefactors too need to be considered when designing a WEVC system for saleto customers.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the wireless power transfer system shown in FIGS.1 and 2 is shown in block-diagram form representing some of thefunctional elements thereof. The system 300 is coupled to a power supplyunit (PSU) 302 that delivers power to a power-factor-correction circuit(PFC) 304, as represented by the voltage V_(AC) and current I_(AC)between the PSU 302 and the PFC 304. The PSU 302 may be a connection toa domestic 220-240V AC mains outlet, a more powerful 3-phase AC supply,or similar. The type of power supply is at least to some extentdependent on the power rating of the system (e.g., 3 kW, 6 kW, 11 kW,and so on). The power-factor-correction circuit (PFC) 304 uses the ACinput to provide DC power to a DC-AC inverter 306 as represented byvoltage V_(DC) and current I_(DC).

The DC-AC inverter 306 is coupled to the PFC 304 and receives the DCpower output by the PFC 304. The DC-AC inverter 306 serves to create ahigh frequency output (e.g., power signal) at the aforementionedoperating frequency of the system, e.g., 85 kHz, as represented by thevoltage V_(INV) and current I_(INV). The 85 kHz power signal is used asinput by tuning and magnetics circuitry (T&M) 308 (also referred toherein as “tuning circuitry”) to drive a base-side coil 310 (e.g., asrepresented by current I_(AC) and voltage V_(AC)) with an output powersignal to generate a magnetic field 312. Together the PFC 304, theinverter 306, the tuning and magnetics circuitry 308 and the base-sidecoil 310 comprise the base-side equipment (e.g., supply) of the system300.

Monitoring circuitry 314 is also provided to monitor the voltages and/orcurrents passing at various locations between the above-described powersupply unit 302 and the base-side coil 310, such as through integratedsensing circuitry. As will be described in greater detail herein below,the monitoring circuitry 314 monitors for changes in the base-sideequipment indicative of an emergency situation in the vehicle-sideequipment. The monitoring circuitry 314 may include or be implementedwith processor hardware logic components, such as, and withoutlimitation, processors, microprocessors, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),Application-Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), System-on-a-Chip systems(SoCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like, withmemory storing executable instructions for performing operations such asthose described herein.

The magnetic field 312 is coupled to by a vehicle-side coil 316, causinga voltage to be induced therein. The induced voltage is used to deliverenergy, as represented by the current I_(VC) and voltage V_(VC), to arectifier 318, which together with a switch controller (Switch) 320,converts the voltage and current into a form suitable for supplyingpower to charge a high voltage (HV) battery 322. It is this high voltagebattery 322 that is used to supply power to drive the electric vehicle102. Although not shown in the diagram, the battery 322 comprisescontrol circuitry that manages the delivery of energy from the switchcontroller 320 to the battery 322. The vehicle-side coil 316, therectifier 318, and the switch controller 320 together form thevehicle-side equipment of the system 300.

FIG. 4 illustrates a system 400 with some of the components of thesystem 300. The various switching and power electronics components shownin FIG. 4 are, naturally, rated to be able to handle the power passingthrough them. The selection of components is dependent on the powerrating of the system (e.g., 3 kW, 6 kW, 11 kW, etc.) including theability of the components to handle any losses.

In FIG. 4, the power supply 402 is shown as a 3-phase supply coupled toa power-factor-correction circuit (PFC) 404 which serves to drive anH-bridge inverter 406 comprising, e.g., field-effect transistor (FET)switches and diodes, or similar. The AC output from the H-bridgeinverter 406 drives tuning and magnetics circuitry 408 comprisingvarious reactive components configured to condition the output signalfrom the H-bridge inverter 406 into a form suitable for driving theinductor (coil) 410 corresponding to the base-side coil 310 in FIG. 3.

The magnetic field 412 produced by the inductor (coil) 410 energizes aninductor (coil) 416 corresponding to the vehicle-side coil 316 FIG. 3.This induces a voltage and current in the coil 416 that is delivered toa rectifier circuit 418, which converts the current to a DC current. Thecurrent passes through switching circuitry 420, which is shown in FIG. 4as comprising FET transistors 420-1 and 420-2 that perform the switchingfunction. Other switches can also be used. Diodes 420-3 and 420-4provide paths from the rectifier circuit 418 to a battery 422, such asthe HV battery 322 in FIG. 3. When the transistors 420-1 and 420-2 areactivated, the transistors 420-1 and 420-2 short the rectifier circuit418 and therefore the coil 410, and the diodes 420-3 and 420-4 preventany current flowing to the battery 422. The switching circuitry 420 thusserves to control the flow of energy from the vehicle-side equipment tothe battery 422 by decoupling the coil 416 from the battery 422. It canbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that circuit configurationshown here is merely one of many different ways in which decoupling maybe achieved.

Points 424-430 in the system 400 represent points at which signals maybe monitored for behavior indicative of an emergency situation in thevehicle-side equipment. Points 432-1 and 432-2 indicate a position inthe circuit where any changes in operation of the battery 422 can bedetected. Points 434-1 and 434-2 indicate points where a control signalis applied to the FET transistors 420-1 and 420-2 to change them between‘open’ and ‘closed’ states.

While the battery 422 is shown as part of the system 400, it may bebuilt into the vehicle during manufacturing. The battery 422 is a unitthat includes, in addition to the battery 422 itself, various controlcircuitry (not shown) that monitors operation of the battery 422 andcontrols its charging. This includes safety circuitry comprising circuitbreakers, switches, or the like, operable to protect the battery 422under specified circumstances. For example, the safety circuitry may beconfigured to disconnect or isolate the battery 422 from the WEVC systemand from other electrical elements in the vehicle 102 when a fault isdetected.

Typically, such batteries are supplied to vehicle manufacturers byspecialist companies to a specification defined by the vehiclemanufacturer. From the perspective of the system 400 design, the battery422 is a ‘black box’ into which the vehicle-side equipment is requiredto supply energy, e.g., in the form of current flowing into the battery422. The system 400 does not control this isolation of the battery 422,but it does have to respond to such a disconnect as an emergencysituation.

For various reasons, much of the ancillary equipment in a vehicle isdesigned to be powered from a low voltage supply. Traditionally, thispower was supplied from a combination of a 12-volt lead-acid battery andan alternator driven by an internal combustion engine. Some vehicles arenow using higher 48-volt batteries. Ancillary equipment includes suchthings as power steering, lights, and instrumentation and entertainmentsystems, all of which may be present in an electric vehicle.Accordingly, a 12-volt (V) supply in an electric vehicle may bebeneficial. The 12-V supply may be provided by a battery separate fromthe battery 422. In some electric vehicles a low voltage (e.g., 12 V or48 V) lead-acid or lithium-ion battery is charged from the battery 422via a DC-DC converter. The provision of a 12-V battery may also bedesirable for safety reasons, e.g., a sudden change resulting in thebattery 422 being disconnected. The 12-V supply may also be employed toprovide power to the control circuitry in the vehicle-side system andthe control circuitry in the battery 422.

A fault causing the battery 422 to disconnect may occur for reasonsentirely outside the operation of the system 400. A fuse elsewhere inthe vehicle 102, damage to a cable, or even disconnection of the 12-Vbattery are some examples of events that may trigger HV batteryisolation. When this happens, the system 400 is able to shut downquickly to stop energy transfer. With no load (e.g., the battery 422),transferred energy can quickly cause damage to the system 400 itself orto the vehicle's electrical and electronics systems. Although suchevents are unlikely and rare, they have the potential to causesignificant and expensive damage to the battery 422 and/or otherancillary systems powered by the battery 422, e.g., a cabin heater. Theymust therefore be treated as emergency situations that are handledwithout delay. Operation of both the vehicle-side and the base-sideequipment needs to be stopped quickly.

As mentioned above in relation to FIG. 1, the system comprises controlcircuitry in both the base-side and the vehicle-side, which enables bothsides to communicate with each other during the transfer of power. Amongother things, this helps to ensure that the coil in base-side is onlyenergized when the vehicle-side coil is suitably positioned and thatenergy is transferred efficiently.

There are currently several WEVC Standards under development thatspecify operation of the system and, to some extent, the way in which itshould be constructed. The first priority is to protect the vehicle.Next is to avoid over-voltages and hardware damage within the chargingsystem.

Wi-Fi or other wireless technology may be used for communication betweenthe two sides of the system. However, Wi-Fi communication may not alwaysbe guaranteed for safety purposes because of characteristics of a Wi-Ficommunication channel that may have some issues with reliability. Thus,sending data, from the vehicle-side equipment to the base-sideequipment, indicating an emergency situation may not result in thebase-side equipment being stopped sufficiently quickly. Moreover, wherethe emergency event is triggered by interruption or removal of the 12-Vsupply, this could render the Wi-Fi elements inoperable. Accordingly, itmay be beneficial to include an additional or alternative way ofshutting down the system under emergency situations independent of theWi-Fi or other communication channel in the system.

Even under an emergency situation, there may remain sufficient energy inthe control elements of the system 400, e.g., held in the capacitors, toenable the FET transistors 420-1 and 420-2 to close and the diodes 420-3and 420-4 to stop current being delivered to the battery 422. Normallyclosed switches could be used to ensure that the power delivery isinterrupted by default in the event of the removal of 12-V power fromthe switching circuitry 420.

The vehicle-side equipment and base-side equipment are coupled to eachother via the magnetic field 412 between the base-side inductor coil 410and the vehicle-side inductor coil 416. A sudden interruption by theswitching circuitry 420 causes various effects on the base-side that canbe detected. The monitoring circuitry 314 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged tomonitor for such changes in the base-side equipment. Detecting one ormore of these changes is indicative of an emergency situation in thevehicle-side equipment. A selection of such effects is shown in FIGS.5-8.

FIG. 5 depicts a graph 500 illustrating a voltage 502 envelope and acurrent 504 envelope at points 430-1, 430-2 in FIG. 4, e.g., betweenbase-side inductor coil 410 and the tuning and magnetics circuitry (T&M)408. A sudden change in a root mean square (RMS) value of the voltage502 may be indicative of a fault condition. A relative change betweenthe current 504 and the voltage 502 may also occur when there is a loaddrop (e.g., a battery disconnection or a sudden loss of power) or otheremergency situation. While monitoring for changes in either of the RMSvoltage 502 or the current 504 may provide an indication of an emergencysituation at the vehicle-side equipment, an indication with a higherlevel of confidence may be obtained by monitoring both the RMS voltage502 and the current 504 and estimating the real power in the coil 410.Output voltage 506 of the vehicle-side coil 316 and output current 508of the vehicle-side coil 316 are shown to illustrate the relationshipbetween the load drop at the vehicle and the changes in voltage 502,current 504, and/or phase between the base-side inductor coil 410 andthe T&M 408.

FIG. 6a illustrates a graph 600 representing voltage 602-1 and current604-1 between the tuning and magnetics circuitry 408 and the H-bridgeinverter 406 of FIG. 4 during normal operation. The signals representedin graph 600 are measured at the points 428-1 and 428-2 in FIG. 4. Incontrast to the normal operation shown in FIG. 6a , FIG. 6b illustratesa graph 610 representing voltage 602-2 and current 604-2 between thetuning and magnetics circuitry 408 and the H-bridge inverter 406 of FIG.4 during an emergency situation at the vehicle-side equipment. Thevoltage 602 is generally a function of the base-side equipment and maynot typically represent any changes on the vehicle-side equipment.Harmonics caused by operation of the H-bridge inverter 406 can be seenas noise and should be allowed for in the monitoring. However, a suddenchange in the current 604 (e.g., a sudden decrease in the RMS value ofthe current 604) may indicate a load change or other fault condition.For example, comparing the current 604-1 during normal operation and thecurrent 604-2 during an emergency situation, the RMS value of thecurrent 604-2 drops significantly. While the AC waveform of the voltage602 remains similar before and during the emergency situation and thepeak has merely dropped 10-20%, the overall RMS of the voltage 602 hasreduced and some phase shift has occurred. Output voltage 606-1 andoutput current 608-1 of the vehicle-side equipment during normaloperation in FIG. 6a and output voltage 606-2 and output current 608-2of the vehicle-side equipment during an emergency situation in FIG. 6bare shown to illustrate the load drop at the vehicle-side equipment andthe corresponding relationship with the changes in the voltage 602 andcurrent 604 between the tuning and magnetics circuitry 408 and theH-bridge inverter 406. Again, combining the current 608-2 and thevoltage 606-2, and detecting particular characteristic changes in both,to give a power measurement provides an indication of an emergencysituation at the vehicle-side equipment with a good level of confidence.

FIG. 7 illustrates a graph 700 representing DC voltage 702 and current704 at points 426-1 and 426-2 in FIG. 4, e.g., between the H-bridgeinverter 406 and the PFC 404. An emergency situation may be indicated bya sudden unexpected change or drop in the DC voltage 702 and/or current704 from the PFC 404 to the H-bridge inverter 406. There are severalways in which this may be detected. Oscillation between the resonantnetwork (e.g., the tuning and magnetics circuitry 408, etc.) and the PFC404 is seen as ringing, particularly in the current 704 signal. This mayrequire averaging to be performed to eliminate any effects of theoscillations. Moreover, there may be noise in the signal to filter out.In addition to simply measuring the DC current, the monitoring circuitrycan be configured to look for one or more zero crossings in the currentas it changes direction (e.g., from positive to negative or fromnegative to positive). This reduces the need for filtering and thereforegives a more responsive indication of a fault or other emergencycondition at the vehicle-side equipment. Output voltage 706 and outputcurrent 708 of the vehicle-side equipment are shown to illustrate therelationship between a load drop at the vehicle 102 and the changes involtage 702, current 704, and/or phase between the H-bridge inverter 406and the PFC 404.

FIG. 8 illustrates a graph 800 representing voltage 802 and AC current804 at points 424-1, 424-2, and/or 424-3 in FIG. 4, e.g., between thePFC 404 and the power supply 402. A phase measurement may be obtainedfrom any of the points 424-1, 424-2, and 424-3 between the PFC 404 andthe power supply 402. In aspects, two phases can be used to determinethe current flow. If all three phases are the same, however, then thesystem may simply use one phase at one of the points 424-1, 424-2, and424-3 to determine the current flow. Again, any sudden or unexpectedchange in current or input power may be an indication of a loaddisconnect on the vehicle side. This part of the system can operate atmains frequency, e.g., 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Change in the current or inputpower at the vehicle-side equipment may only be detectable between onecycle and the next, meaning that detection can only be performed every16-20 ms or some other more limited time range. While this may be slowerthan some other approaches, it is nevertheless another useful indicatorof a fault on the vehicle-side of the system. Output voltage 806 andoutput current 808 of the vehicle-side equipment are shown to illustratethe relationship between a load drop at the vehicle-side equipment andthe changes in the voltage 802, current 804, and/or phase between thePFC 404 and the power supply 402 of the base-side equipment.

In at least some aspects, the AC current 804 input to the PFC 404 can beused in combination with the current 704 input to the H-bridge inverter406. The current 704 at the H-bridge inverter 406 can be used fordetermining reliability of the AC current 804 at the PFC 404. By usingboth the current 704 at the H-bridge inverter 406 and the AC current 804at the PFC 404, the monitoring circuitry 314 can detect the faultcondition at the vehicle-side equipment based on changes in the ACcurrent 804 and/or the current 704.

Although not shown, it can be appreciated by those possessed of theappropriate skills that a sudden change in phase of the voltage and/orthe current, or a change in the phase difference between the voltage andcurrent, is another indication of an emergency situation associated withthe vehicle-side equipment.

FIG. 9 depicts a method 900 of controlling operation of a WEVC system.In aspects, the controlling is based on detecting of an emergencysituation at the vehicle-side equipment of the WEVC system. The method900 can be performed by the monitoring circuitry 314 of FIG. 3.

At 902, the monitoring circuitry 314 monitors signals including at leastone of voltage, current, or phase associated with operation of one ormore of elements of the base-side equipment of the WEVC system. Powerindicators may be determined by combining the voltage and currentmeasurements.

Although the operations 904-910 are shown as being performedsequentially, the operations 904-910 may also be executed individuallyor in parallel. Depending on the design requirements of a specific powertransfer system, any single operation of the operations 904-910, or anya combination of two or more of the operations 904-910, may be performedto determine an emergency situation at the vehicle-side equipment.

At 904, the monitoring circuitry 314 monitors voltage across, and thecurrent in, the base-side coil 310 in the base power-transfer apparatus106 for an indication of an emergency situation at the vehicle-sideequipment. This voltage and current can be measured at points 430-1 and430-2 of FIG. 4, which are located between the tuning and magneticscircuitry (T&M) 308 and the base-side coil 310. Changes in either of theRMS voltage or the current, or both, provides an indication of anoperational error on the vehicle side. Combining the two measurementsprovides a value of power input to the base-side coil 310.

At 906, the monitoring circuitry 314 monitors voltage, current, and/orphase signals between tuning and magnetics circuitry and an inverter. Anexample of this is described above with respect to FIG. 6. Thesemeasurements can be taken at points 428-1 and 428-2 of FIG. 4, which arelocated between the tuning and magnetics circuitry 308 and the inverter(DC-AC) 306 of FIG. 3.

At 908, the monitoring circuitry 314 monitors the voltage, current,and/or phase signals between an inverter (DC-AC) and apower-factor-correction circuit (PFC). An example of this is describedabove with respect to FIG. 7. These measurements can be taken at points426-1 and 426-2 of FIG. 4, which are located between the inverter(DC-AC) 306 and the PFC 304 of FIG. 3.

At 910, the monitoring circuitry 314 monitors the voltage, current,and/or phase signals between the PFC and a power source. An example ofthis is described above with respect to FIG. 8. These measurements canbe taken at points 424-1 and 424-2 of FIG. 4, which are located betweenthe PFC 304 and the power supply unit 302 of FIG. 3.

At 912, the monitoring circuitry 314 determines if a change in thevoltage, current, and/or phase signals at one or more of 904-910 in thebase-side equipment is detected. If not, the monitoring circuitry 314continues monitoring for such changes. However, if a change is detectedthat is indicative of a sudden loss of power at the vehicle-sideequipment, then at 914, the monitoring circuitry 314 determines that anemergency situation has occurred in the vehicle-side equipment andresponsively halts generation of the magnetic field. In aspects, thechange can include an interruption of the alternating current to thecoil.

The effects of a sudden change in operation in the vehicle-sideequipment may also occur under other situations that constitute anemergency in which damage could occur if operation of the system were tocontinue. For example, a sudden change (increase or decrease) incoupling between the base-side coil and the vehicle-side coil, theintroduction of a large foreign metallic object between the base-sidecoil and the vehicle-side coil, or mechanical damage to components inthe system (primarily the one or both of base-side coil and thevehicle-side coil) could lead quickly to significant damage to thesystem. A significant change in the power being requested via thesystem's Wi-Fi control channel between one request and the next may alsobe an early indication of an emergency situation.

FIG. 10 depicts a flow diagram 1000 showing the use of systemmeasurements as a predictor or early indicator of an emergency situationat vehicle-side equipment of a WEVC system. In aspects, the last knownvehicle-side measurement data is used in combination with othermonitored signals.

Operation of the base-side equipment is monitored 1002 as describedabove, e.g., in the method 900 of FIG. 9. Additionally, the monitoringmay include data representing present operation of the base-sideequipment, such as information on the duty cycle of the inverter 306 andother control information. The vehicle-side equipment sends data 1004from time-to-time, e.g., approximately every 100 ms, indicating a lastvehicle-side power measurement. In aspects, this power measurement canbe used to represent an expected operating point of the system. Withthis information, the monitoring circuitry 314 predicts 1006 minimumthresholds, such as the minimum expected value of other operating data.For example, if the vehicle-side power requirement is known, togetherwith the PFC voltage and the duty cycle, the expected current of therectifier can be predicted. Naturally, these calculations may bespecific to the topology of the system with equations that define therelationships between measured signals. Known performance measurements,e.g., results of measurements obtained at 1002, are checked 1008 againstthe predicted minimum thresholds. With sufficient data these thresholdsmay be determined as absolute thresholds.

A significant deviation in the known performance measurements from thepredicted minimum thresholds (e.g., a deviation in a known performancevalue from the expected value that exceeds a threshold value) can beinterpreted as an emergency situation. In an example, if a previous(e.g., last known) vehicle-side measurement indicates that 10 kW ofpower is being received at the vehicle-side equipment, then it isexpected that 10 kW of power will continue to be delivered from thebase-side equipment. If, suddenly there is only 2 kW of power beingdelivered to the vehicle-side equipment, then it is concluded that anemergency situation has occurred at the vehicle-side equipment that hascaused a loss of power. This is because the voltage, current, or phasesignals should not ramp or change too quickly. To prevent damage,generation of the magnetic field is halted 1010 (e.g., by interruptingthe current in the coil) in response to detection of the deviation.Using the last known vehicle-side power measurement, the system canaccount for and allow minor natural deviations, such as typical slowramp up, slow ramp down, slow de-rating, and so on, without triggering afalse shutoff condition. These techniques therefore allow the system todetermine a size or type of change that is acceptable or that shouldtrigger a shutoff of the magnetic field.

In aspects, the vehicle-side equipment can send power requests to thebase-side equipment to request a certain amount of power to betransferred via the magnetic field. The base-side equipment can comparea present power request from the vehicle-side equipment with a previouspower request from the vehicle-side equipment to determine differencesthat may indicate an emergency situation at the vehicle-side equipment.For example, if the 10 kW of power described above corresponds to theprevious power request and the 2 kW of power corresponds to the presentpower request, then the base-side equipment can determine that thesudden and substantial drop in the power request is indicative of anemergency situation at the vehicle-side equipment. Alternatively, thebase-side equipment can compare the previous power request with datarepresenting present operation of the base-side equipment to determinewhether power levels of the present operation correspond to orsubstantially deviate from the previous power request (e.g., lastreceived power request).

In an example, the base-side equipment receives a first power requestform the vehicle-side equipment requesting a first amount of power to betransferred to the vehicle-side equipment via the magnetic field. Thebase-side equipment then delivers the requested amount of power via themagnetic field. Subsequently, such as at a next received signal from thevehicle-side equipment (e.g., after about 100 ms), the base-sideequipment receives a second power request. This second power request mayrequest a second level of power to be transferred to the vehicle-sideequipment via the magnetic field. The base-side equipment then comparesthe second power request with the first power request to determinewhether the emergency situation has occurred at the vehicle-sideequipment. If, based on the comparison, the second power request issignificantly different (higher or lower) than the first power request,then the base-side equipment can determine that the emergency situationhas occurred at the vehicle-side equipment and that the magnetic fieldshould be shut off to prevent damage at the vehicle-side equipment.Sequential power requests that differ by more than a threshold amount,therefore, can be used to indicate the emergency situation at thevehicle-side equipment and trigger an emergency shutoff of the magneticfield.

Unauthorized harvesting of magnetic energy from the magnetic field maycause similar changes and can therefore also be detected using theapproaches described herein.

Having described the invention by reference to a wireless electricvehicle charging (WEVC) system, a base power-transfer apparatus for theWEVC system, a method of controlling the WEVC system, and a method ofcontrolling a base power-transfer apparatus for the WEVC system, it isto be understood that the same have been described by way of exampleonly and that modifications and variations such as may occur to thosepossessed of appropriate knowledge and skills may be made withoutdeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims and equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. Base-side equipment of a wireless electricvehicle charging system, the base-side equipment comprising: an inverterconfigured to provide a high frequency output; tuning circuitry coupledto the inverter, the tuning circuitry configured to receive the highfrequency output and provide an output power signal; a coil coupled tothe tuning circuitry, the coil configured to receive the output powersignal and generate a magnetic field for delivery of power tovehicle-side equipment; and monitoring circuitry between the inverterand the tuning circuitry, the monitoring circuitry configured to:monitor voltage and current associated with operation of the base-sideequipment; and halt generation of the magnetic field in response to achange in the voltage, current, or voltage and current, that indicates afault condition at the vehicle-side equipment.
 2. The base-sideequipment of claim 1, wherein the fault condition is a loss of power ora disconnection of the vehicle-driving battery.
 3. The base-sideequipment of claim 1, wherein the generation of the magnetic field ishalted based on an interruption of the output power signal.
 4. Thebase-side equipment of claim 1, further comprising apower-factor-correction circuit coupled to a power source and configuredto provide a direct current (DC) output to the inverter.
 5. Thebase-side equipment of claim 1, wherein: the base-side equipment isconfigured to generate the magnetic field in response to power requestsfrom the vehicle-side equipment; and the monitoring circuitry isconfigured to compare a previous power request from the vehicle-sideequipment with data representing present operation of the base-sideequipment.
 6. The base-side equipment of claim 1, wherein: the base-sideequipment is configured to generate the magnetic field in response topower requests received from the vehicle-side equipment; and themonitoring circuitry is further configured to: determine a knownperformance value associated with the voltage, current, or voltage andcurrent; predict an expected value of a second voltage, a secondcurrent, or a second voltage and current associated with operation ofthe vehicle-side equipment based on a combination of a last receivedpower request from the vehicle-side equipment and data representingoperation of the base-side equipment; and halt the generation of themagnetic field in response to a deviation in the known performance valuefrom the expected value that exceeds a threshold value.
 7. The base-sideequipment of claim 1, wherein: the base-side equipment is configured togenerate the magnetic field in response to power requests from thevehicle-side equipment; and the monitoring circuitry is configured tocompare a present power request from the vehicle-side equipment with aprevious power request from the vehicle-side equipment.
 8. The base-sideequipment of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuitry is configured todetermine the fault condition at the vehicle-side equipment based on adecrease in a value of the current.
 9. The base-side equipment of claim1, wherein the monitoring circuitry is configured to determine the faultcondition at the vehicle-side equipment based on a decrease in a valueof the voltage.
 10. The base-side equipment of claim 1, wherein themonitoring circuitry is configured to determine the fault condition atthe vehicle-side equipment based on a decrease in a first root meansquare (RMS) value of the current and in a second RMS value of thevoltage.
 11. A method of controlling operation of a wireless electricvehicle charging system, the method comprising: generating a magneticfield by base-side equipment of the wireless electric vehicle chargingsystem to transfer power to vehicle-side equipment of the wirelesselectric vehicle charging system; monitoring a voltage, a current, or avoltage and a current associated with operation of the base-sideequipment between tuning circuitry of the base-side equipment and aninverter of the base-side equipment during power transfer from thebase-side equipment to the vehicle-side equipment; detecting a change inthe voltage, the current, or the voltage and a current indicative of afault condition in the vehicle-side equipment; and halting generation ofthe magnetic field in response to detecting the change.
 12. The methodof claim 11, wherein the fault condition is a loss of power or adisconnection of the vehicle-driving battery.
 13. The method of claim11, wherein: the magnetic field is generated by a coil driven by analternating current; and the halting comprises interrupting thealternating current to the coil.
 14. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising providing a direct current (DC) output to the inverter from apower-factor-correction circuit coupled to a power source.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein: the magnetic field is generated based onfirst data received from the vehicle-side equipment, the first dataindicating a previous power measurement of the vehicle-side equipment;and the method further comprises comparing the first data with seconddata representing present operation of the base-side equipment.
 16. Themethod of claim 11, wherein: the magnetic field is generated based onfirst data received from the vehicle-side equipment, the first dataindicating a power measurement of the vehicle-side equipment or a powerrequest from the vehicle-side equipment; and the method furthercomprises: determining a known performance value based on the voltage,the current, or the voltage and current; and predicting an expectedvalue of a second voltage, a second current, or a second voltage andcurrent associated with operation of the vehicle-side equipment based ona combination of the second data representing present operation of thebase-side equipment and one of the power measurement of the vehicle-sideequipment or the power request received from the vehicle-side equipment;and halting generation of the magnetic field is performed in response toa deviation in a known performance value from the expected value thatexceeds a threshold value.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein: thebase-side equipment is configured to generate the magnetic field basedon data received from the vehicle-side equipment that indicatesvehicle-side power measurements; and the method further comprises:receiving first data indicating a first power measurement at thevehicle-side equipment; subsequent to receiving the first data,receiving second data indicating a second power measurement at thevehicle-side equipment; and comparing the second power measurement withthe first power measurement to determine whether the fault condition hasoccurred at the vehicle-side equipment.
 18. The method of claim 11,further comprising determining the fault condition at the vehicle-sideequipment based on a decrease in a value of the current.
 19. The methodof claim 11, further comprising determining the fault condition at thevehicle-side equipment based on a decrease in a value of the voltage.20. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining the faultcondition at the vehicle-side equipment based on a decrease in a firstroot mean square (RMS) value of the current and in a second RMS value ofthe voltage.